Fiber pad flooring installation with low reflected sound pressure level

ABSTRACT

A flooring system as disclosed herein may include a subfloor, a top floor layer, and an underlayment material comprising a needlepunched fiber pad. The needlepunched fiber pad may include a plurality of layers that are needlepunched together to form the fiber pad. Each of the layers may have a respective initial thickness. The fiber pad may have a thickness that is less than the sum of the initial thicknesses. A moisture vapor barrier may be disposed between the needlepunched fiber pad and the sub floor. A portion of the moisture vapor barrier may extend beyond an edge of the fiber pad. The portion of the moisture vapor barrier that extends beyond the edge of the fiber pad may have an adhesive disposed thereon.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 from provisional U.S. patent application No. 61/828,997, filed May 30, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

A typical hardwood, laminate, vinyl tile, or engineered flooring system may include two or more layers. A top layer typically details the pattern and texture of the product, and may include a protective layer, such as a hard coating, for durability. A core layer may be prepared from pressed fiberboard, for example, or from other suitable materials. A bottom layer may be included to stabilize the product and to protect it from deleterious effects of moisture. Frequently, laminate or engineered flooring systems employ some type of tongue and groove design to allow the pieces of the flooring to bond together without requiring the use of adhesive.

It is well-known that moisture may cause undesirable cupping or warping of the flooring system. A vapor barrier may be employed to protect the laminate or engineered flooring system from damage caused by moisture. Though a vapor barrier may provide some protection against moisture damage, vapor barriers tend to increase the cost and installation complexity of such flooring systems.

Another issue that may be experienced with flooring systems is the sound that may be produced when the floor is used. In multi-story structures, for example, sound created by use of an upper unit floor may be transmitted down into the unit below. Likewise, sound may be reflected back into the unit in which it is created. A sound barrier layer may be employed to reduce one or both of transmitted and reflected noise. Typical sound barrier layers include dense rubber and plastic sheets, corks, recycled fibers, and various types of foams. Such sound barriers, however, tend to be heavy and to add to the complexity and overall cost of installation.

Examples of conventional foams used in flooring applications have EPC contents, densities, and gel fraction that, in combination, result in compressive strengths below about 0.50 kg/cm². These properties of conventional olefin foam underlayments combine to produce relatively high reflected sound pressure levels (i.e., greater than about 13.5 dB average) in the 300 Hz to 1000 Hz range. Other underlayment materials, such as conventional fiberpad, cork, and non-cross-linked foam, for example, also tend to produce relatively high reflected sound pressure levels in the 300 Hz to 1000 Hz frequency range. Such materials also tend to produce high moisture vapor transmission rates (MVTR) unless additional vapor barrier layers are incorporated.

Accordingly, it would be desirable if there were available flooring systems that produced relatively low sound reflection (e.g., less than about 13.5 dB average over a range of 300 to 1000 Hz) and moisture vapor transmission rates (e.g., less than about 3.0 lb/1000 ft²/24 hr) by ASTM F 1249 test method, without the cost and installation complexity conventional systems typically involve.

SUMMARY

As disclosed herein, a flooring system that produces relatively low sound reflection (e.g., less than about 13.5 dB average over a range of 300 to 1000 Hz) and moisture vapor transmission rates (e.g., less than about 3.0 lb/1000 ft²/24 hr) may include a subfloor, a top floor layer, and an underlayment material comprising a needlepunched fiber pad. The needlepunched fiber pad may include a plurality of layers that are needlepunched together to form the fiber pad. Each of the layers may have a respective initial thickness. The needlepunched fiber pad may have a thickness that is less than the sum of the initial thicknesses.

A moisture vapor barrier may be disposed between the needlepunched fiber pad and the sub floor. A portion of the moisture vapor barrier may extend beyond an edge of the fiber pad. The portion of the moisture vapor barrier that extends beyond the edge of the fiber pad may have an adhesive disposed thereon.

An underlayment material for a flooring system may include a needlepunched fiber pad and a moisture vapor barrier affixed to the needlepunched fiber pad. A portion of the moisture vapor barrier may extend beyond an edge of the fiber pad. An adhesive may be disposed on the portion of the moisture vapor barrier that extends beyond the edge of the fiber pad. The adhesive may be covered by a tape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a flooring system with a fiberpad underlayment material that provides for low reflected sound pressure level.

FIG. 2 depicts an example of a flooring system with a fiberpad underlayment and moisture vapor barrier.

FIG. 3 depicts an example fiberpad with a moisture vapor barrier affixed thereto.

FIG. 4 illustrates a plurality of fiber layers having been needle-punched into a single fiberpad underlayment material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1, an example flooring system 100 may include a top floor layer 102, an underlayment material 104, and a sub-floor 106. The top floor layer 102 may include, for example, a laminate, vinyl, or hardwood flooring material. The underlayment material 104 may be, for example, a fiberpad underlayment material. The sub-floor 106 may be a wood or concrete sub-floor, for example. It should be understood that the sub-floor 106 might be a previously-installed flooring system, for example, that is to be covered over, or any support structure, such as a system of floor joists, for example, on which the top floor layer 102 and underlayment material 104 are installed to form a flooring system.

The layers 102, 104, and 106 may be affixed to one another by any practicable means. For example, the layers 102, 104, and 106 may be nailed or tacked together. Optionally, an adhesive 110 may be applied between the top floor layer 102 and the underlayment material 104. The adhesive 110 may be a high-performance wood adhesive, for example. Optionally, an adhesive 112 may be applied between the underlayment material 104 and the sub-floor 106. The adhesive 112 may be a high-performance underlayment adhesive, for example.

As shown in FIG. 2, an example flooring system 200 may include a top floor layer 202, an underlayment material 204, a vapor barrier layer 208, and a sub-floor 206. The top floor layer 202 may include, for example, a laminate, vinyl, or hardwood flooring material. The underlayment material 204 may be, for example, a fiberpad underlayment material. The sub-floor 206 may be a wood or concrete sub-floor, for example.

As described in detail herein, the underlayment material may have moisture vapor transmission properties that are suitable for certain applications. In some applications, however, additional moisture vapor protection may be desirable. If desired, a vapor barrier layer 208 may be disposed between the top floor layer 202 and the sub-floor 206. The vapor barrier layer 208 may be a film, which may be a polypropylene film, disposed between the underlayment material 204 and the sub-floor 206. The vapor barrier layer 208 may be adhered to the underlayment material 204 and/or to the sub-floor 206. It should be understood that the vapor barrier layer 208 may be adhered to the underlayment material 204 before it is rolled (as described below). Thus, the underlayment material 204 may be delivered to the point of installation with the optional vapor barrier 208 already adhered thereto, thus simplifying installation of the underlayment material 204 and vapor barrier 208.

As shown in FIG. 3, a fiberpad underlayment 304 may have affixed thereto a moisture vapor barrier 308. A portion of the moisture vapor barrier 308 may extend beyond an edge of the fiberpad underlayment 304. The entire fiberpad underlayment 304 may be covered with the moisture vapor barrier 308. The portion of the moisture vapor barrier 308 that extends beyond the edge of the fiberpad underlayment may include an adhesive 310, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive, for example. The pressure sensitive adhesive may be covered by a tape 312, which can be peeled away at the point of installation.

The fiberpads may be installed such that the portion of the vapor barrier that extends beyond the edge of one fiber pad may be affixed to the moisture vapor barrier of an adjacent fiber pad.

The underlayment material 104/204 may be a needle-punched fiber pad. The fiber pad may be made of polyester or polypropylene, for example. The ratio of polypropylene to polyester may vary, and may be such as 70/30, 60/40, 50/50, for example.

FIG. 4 illustrates needle punching several layers of fiber material 402-410 into a single fiberpad 412. Initially, each fiber layer 402-410 has an initial respective thickness and density. After needle punching, the finished fiberpad 412 has a final thickness that is less than the sum of the thicknesses of the several layers 402-410, and a final density that is greater than the density of any single layer 402-410. Needle punching fiber into pads is well-known, and need not be described herein.

The thickness of the final fiber pad 412 may be in the range of about 1 mm to about 12 mm, preferably around 3.5 mm. The density of the final fiber pad 412 may be about 9 lb/ft³ and in a range of about 7-15 lb/ft³. The typical acoustic properties may be, for example, IIC: (70) dB, PER ASTM E-492-09/E-989-06; ΔIIC: (21) dB, PER ASTM E-2179-03; and STC: (65) dB, PER ASTM E-90-04/E413-10. IIC rates a floor/ceiling assembly's ability to block impact sound. The moisture properties may be MVTR: (0.9) lbs/1000 ft²/24 hrs, PER ASTM E-96. The compressive strength may be 9.5 lbs./inch² (at 25%), PER ASTM D-3575.

Impact Insulation Class (sometimes referred to as Impact Isolation Class) measures a floor/ceiling assembly's resistance to the transmission of structure-borne or impact noise. IIC helps to rate structure-borne noise such as footfall, a chair dragging on the floor, or other realistic sounds in a single number. Due to the nature of the testing procedure, however, almost any assembly with carpet will meet the IIC requirement. Meeting the IIC requirement does not ensure the control of footfall noise. Conversely, if an assembly does not meet the IIC requirement, it does not necessarily mean that there will be a footfall noise issue.

The tapping machine frequently used for this test is not designed to simulate any one type of impact, such as a male or female footsteps, nor to simulate the weight of a human walker. Thus the subjectively annoying creak or boom generated by human footfalls on a limber floor assembly may not be adequately evaluated by this method (American Society for Testing and Materials—ASTM, E 1007, 5.2).

An IIC rating of 50 will typically satisfy building code requirements. As with STC, it is typically argued that luxury accommodations require a more stringent design goal. Bare in mind, some floor assemblies rated as high as IIC 70 could still transfer noticeable footfall noise. Sound Transmission Class rates a partition's resistance to airborne sound transfer at the speech frequencies (125-4000 Hz). The higher the number, the better the isolation. STC Strength: Classifies an assembly's resistance to airborne sound transmission in a single number. STC Weakness: This rating only assesses isolation in the speech frequencies and provides no evaluation of the barrier's ability to block low frequency noise, such as the bass in music or the noise of some mechanical equipment.

An assembly rated at STC 50 will satisfy the building code requirement, however, residents could still be subject to awareness, if not understanding, of loud speech. It is typically argued that luxury accommodations require a more stringent design goal (as much as 10 dB better—STC 60). Regardless of what STC is selected, all air-gaps and penetrations must be carefully controlled and sealed. Even a small air-gap can degrade the isolation integrity of an assembly. 

1. A flooring system, comprising: a subfloor; a top floor layer; and an underlayment material comprising a needlepunched fiber pad, wherein the needlepunched fiber pad comprises a plurality of layers that are needlepunched together to form the fiber pad.
 2. The flooring system of claim 1, wherein each of the layers has a respective initial thickness, and the needlepunched fiber pad has a thickness that is less than the sum of the initial thicknesses.
 3. The flooring system of claim 1, further comprising a moisture vapor barrier disposed between the needlepunched fiber pad and the sub floor.
 4. The flooring system of claim 3, wherein a portion of the moisture vapor barrier extends beyond an edge of the fiber pad.
 5. The flooring system of claim 4, wherein the portion of the moisture vapor barrier that extends beyond the edge of the fiber pad has an adhesive disposed thereon.
 6. A flooring system, comprising: a subfloor; a top floor layer; an underlayment material comprising a needlepunched fiber pad, and a moisture vapor barrier disposed between the needlepunched fiber pad and the sub floor.
 7. The flooring system of claim 6, wherein the needlepunched fiber pad comprises a plurality of layers that are needlepunched together to form the fiber pad, wherein each of the layers has a respective initial thickness, and wherein the needlepunched fiber pad has a thickness that is less than the sum of the initial thicknesses.
 8. The flooring system of claim 6, wherein a portion of the moisture vapor barrier extends beyond an edge of the fiber pad.
 9. The flooring system of claim 6, wherein the portion of the moisture vapor barrier that extends beyond the edge of the fiber pad has an adhesive disposed thereon.
 10. An underlayment material for a flooring system, the underlayment material comprising: a needlepunched fiber pad; and a moisture vapor barrier affixed to the needlepunched fiber pad; wherein the needlepunched fiber pad comprises a plurality of layers that are needlepunched together to form the fiber pad, each of the layers has a respective initial thickness, and the needlepunched fiber pad has a thickness that is less than the sum of the initial thicknesses; and wherein a portion of the moisture vapor barrier extends beyond an edge of the fiber pad an adhesive is disposed on the portion of the moisture vapor barrier that extends beyond the edge of the fiber pad, and the adhesive is covered by a tape. 